


Irises

by Hotspur



Category: Classical Greece and Rome History & Literature RPF, Julius Caesar - Shakespeare
Genre: Angst and Fluff, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, because reasons, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 09:40:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2063268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hotspur/pseuds/Hotspur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Plutarch says that after Porcia showed Brutus her wound, he set about restoring her to health.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Irises

He embraces you, holding you as close as he once did. You lay your head in his shoulder, feeling like you’re going to collapse. You’re begging him to let you back into his life, to remember his promises of love and to recall that you’re nothing if not devoted to him. You feel the world closing in and all you have left is him, and he wants to hide from you. You’re not sure if you’re saying all this out loud or if it’s your heart screaming it. 

You always have known he loved you, and that’s what made these past weeks all the more painful. He didn’t seem to love you any more, and losing his love was the most horrible thing possible. He’s the only one in your life who has ever truly loved you. Now he holds you, kissing you and swearing that he’ll tell you what’s going on and that he’ll be a far better husband, he’ll be what you deserve. 

He doesn’t feel he deserves you, he cries. He prays to the gods to be successful and to be worthy of you. You want to reassure him that it’s not a question of being worthy or unworthy, but you can’t find the words, so you just hug him back and feel his hand gently running down your back. Then he lets go of you. He lays his hand gently on your cheek and promises he will be back in a minute. You watch as he leaves and, since he can’t see you, the tears come to your eyes.

You sit down and twist the fabric of your stola to give your hands something to do. It seems forever, and then you see him return with a bowl and some cloth. He kneels in front of you and gently lifts your skirt so your thigh- the injured one- is seen. He looks up at you, and you feel that overwhelming pang of love in your chest. He carefully unwraps the bandage that you’d tied around your thigh. The blood has dried into the linen and it hurts as it comes off, but you grit your teeth and stifle a groan. He takes your hand and that makes you feel better.

With some cloth and water from the bowl he gently begins washing away the blood dried on your skin. Sometimes it hurts, but you ignore that because feeling him touch you like this is far more powerful than whatever pain may come. Then he begins cleaning the wound. It’s deep and long and hurts almost as bad as when you first opened it. He sees you flinch and he tells you to hold his shoulders. You do, using him as leverage as he takes care of the most painful part.

It’s over soon though, and he’s wrapping a new bandage around your thigh. When he’s done, he gently strokes the part of your thigh that doesn’t hurt. He gently kisses your leg and then stands up and pulls you into his arms. He holds you, and you feel safe again, loved, and you never want to leave his arms.

He tells you the truth- the conspiracy, the plot, everything. Your stomach drops, because you know how dangerous this is. He’s risking everything, and he could easily get himself killed. It’s in his blood, and that’s just more pressure on him. Now you understand.

 

It’s your turn to be the comforter. You promise to keep it secret. You will never tell anyone, not even under pain of death. You’ve proved that already. But you also promise to protect him any way you can. You’re his other half, his soul mate. All you ever wanted was to keep him safe and get your husband back from whatever had replaced him. He’s done his best to heal you, taking care of the physical wounds. And you know, as he holds you, that he’s trying to heal inside.


End file.
